The concequences of love
by favefangirl
Summary: Years after Magnus broke his own heart, he and Alec are thrust back into each other's company. But, they have both changed a lot in the absence. Malec, Clace and some Sizzy! Sequel to The Things We Would Do For Love. All Human AU. Please read A/N and please r&r! Rated a high T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Magnus stood in the hallway of the house that was once his. People in suits were bustling all around him, as if he wasn't even there. A mere ghost, not a man. He looked about him, and was flooded with memories.

The first day he moved in, how he'd left the door open and his cat ran away. He had been distraught! The first days— over the summer—he had spent them surfing with Simon and Alec. He had had his first kiss here, also with Alec. He had first said he loved him in the kitchen, now but a wall away. And just upstairs, he had broken up with the first person he'd ever truly loved.

He sighed loudly, and one of the housing agents gave him a dirty look. He needed to get out. His breath was becoming laboured, and the heat was unbearable. There were some things he missed about this place—the beach, the surf, Valentine's ice-coffees. But there were more things he didn't miss. The merciless sun was one of them.

He hurried out into his old back yard. It used to be trimmed and neat, but four years of neglect had taken its toll. The grass was overgrown, the swing-set had rusted from the little rain California received, and the shed at the bottom of the garden had ivy sprawling across it like a maze.

It was full of lawn-mowers that had long since ceased working and surfboards he hadn't used in years. A doll house he had made with his father, a scrapbook of his time in France, most likely some old action man dolls he had been too old to play with for years. All worthless now.

"What do you want us to do about that?" Sebastian, the real estate agent Magnus had hired, asked appearing at his side.

"Throw it out." Magnus replied heartlessly.

The house hurt, the heat hurt, and being back hurt the most. Magnus could only imagine his apartment back in New York. The modern decor, the air-con, the view of the concrete jungle below. There, he felt powerful. Here, he felt uncomfortable. Like an adult at a children's party.

"Anything you find, throw it out." Magnus added, turning away from the morbid sight of the garden he used to run around in.

"Of course. Uh, even this?" Sebastion said, holding out a white envelope.

Magnus growled and snatched the letter out of his hands. He shoved it into his pocket without really looking at it. Everything from his old life was meaningless. He didn't need any of it now.

"You all know what to do, I'll be at Valentine's. That's a cafe on the beach. Call if you need anything." Magnus explained, walking away.

He vaguely heard, "Yes, Mr. Bane." behind him, but he didn't turn to see. He just walked straight through his kitchen—which somehow still smelled of cinnamon despite the four years it had been empty—and down the hallway, out the front door, and then into his

BMW. He turned on the engine and slid his air-con to the max. It still smelled of the company he had hired it from, and Magnus frowned before driving off.

Nothing had changed, even in the years he'd been gone. He still knew his way to his favourite coffee shop. Sure, Valentine's wasn't the most high-end place, but it did a damn good cup of ice-coffee.

Magnus climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind him. The salty sea air hit him like a wall, and all of a sudden he felt at home. He shook off the comfortable feeling, reminding himself that New York was his home.

But, looking out on the crystal blue waves broken only by white waves crashing loudly onto themselves, Magnus could imagine himself living there. Back again, with surfboards and Simon and Alec...

He pulled himself out of his daydream and walked through the heavy door into the shop. He looked about, and his eyes were instantly drawn to the booth that they used to sit in. It took a lot of willpower for him to instead walk in the opposite direction, and sit down there.

"Well, I'll be." Valentine Morgernstern said, standing at the end of the booth a mere two minutes later. He looked older than Magnus remembered, but still the same Valentine, "Not seen you in a while son. Last I heard, you were in the big city."

"Yeah, I am. Well, you know what I mean." Magnus replied standing and extending his hand.

Valentine used it to pull Magnus into a friendly hug. Magnus couldn't help but laugh. There were a lot of things he was glad to be back for, and this was one of the most prominent. Valentine even still smelled of the Hugo Boss the boys had all put money towards buying him.

"I'll get you your usual, then we'll talk properly." Valentine promised, before walking into the kitchen.

Magnus watched him go before turning to look out of the wall length window to his right. He had a perfect view of the beach. He could see people of all ages lounging around. He could almost pretend he was nineteen again, and in his last year at his programme school. He soon realised that this was a mistake. That was the year he broke up with Alec, a year before he left. That was the year he broke his own heart.

Valentine returned soon, and Magnus silently thanked him. He was on the verge of a meltdown just thinking about Alec. He smiled and gladly took the ice-coffee being offered to him. The cool glass was calming, especially on his burning skin.

"So, have you got a girlfriend, boyfriend?" Valentine asked, sliding into the booth opposite Magnus.

"Valentine, I'm sorry, you're just not my type!" Magnus joked. Valentine laughed and Magnus continued, "Nah. It's all about the career for me. Don't need the drama."

This was a strict rule of his. Relationships meant having to think about, care about someone else. It meant having another person to look after, and Magnus could barely take care of himself. He just didn't need someone to be tied to.

At least, that's what he told himself. Deep down, buried under his hostile exterior and lack of emotion, he knew it was because he had never really let Alec go. Four years is a long time to carry around someone who's forgotten about you.

"No, you'll feel differently one day." Valentine sighed, gazing off to look at a framed picture of his late wife Jocelyn. She had died the week before Magnus left. He didn't go to the funeral. "How come you're back?" Valentine asked, seemingly drawing himself from a trance.

"I'm selling the house." Magnus explained. At Valentine's shocked expression he added,"I don't need it. My life is in New York now."

Valentine looked around to see if there was anyone who needed to be served. Satisfied his services weren't needed, he turned back to Magnus and asked, "Have you seen anyone else lately?"

"I get the occasional postcard from Simon. He's touring at the minute, with his band. Clary and Jace just had a kid, they're living in Colorado, but we don't talk often. Isabelle, she's still here I think. I haven't seen her for years." Magnus replied.

"And Alec?" Valentine asked. Magnus shrugged in reply, though he knew exactly where he was.

Alec was in Florida. He had recently Graduated from Idris University, had gotten his law degree, and had started a firm up there. He was successful. He had gotten his wish. Robert Lightwood had been right. If you love something, let it go.

At that moment, Magnus' phone rang. One of The Faeries greatest hits rang through the speaker, and he swiped decline quickly. Valentine grinned, and Magnus knew it was because even after four years, he still had the same ring tone.

"Better go see who that was." Magnus mumbled mostly to himself, frowning at his phone's blank screen. "Nice seeing you, Valentine." He added over his shoulder as he hurried out of the restaurant. He didn't catch Valentine's nod as he walked through the door.

Magnus quickly tapped in his password and checked who it was. Simon flashed on his screen and Magnus' heart dropped. They hadn't talked in months, a year really. What did he want?

"Magnus Bane!" Simon said, excitedly.

"Simon Lewis." Magnus said in reply, sitting down on one of the stairs leading up to the deck.

"How the devil are you?" Simon asked in a terrible English accent, making Magnus laugh

despite its stupidity.

"I'm good. How's Manchester?" Magnus replied.

"Great. I just wanted to invite you over here, actually. The bands going to London next, and there are a lot of empty nights. I haven't seen the gang in a while. I thought we could maybe spend a week together. Like the good old days." Simon explained and Magnus could hear the smile in his voice.

"I don't know. Me and London have a bit of a dodgy history. And I don't know if I'll be able to get any time off work." Magnus lied.

"Try, goddamn it! You'll be the only one not there!" Simon ordered, his voice rising.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Magnus promised half heartedly.

"You better. Simon out." Simon replied, hanging up.

Magnus sighed and looked out onto the beach. Did he want to go back to London, after six years of living in America? Did he even want to see anyone? He had left them without any notice. Would he really be able to face them? He honestly didn't know.

 **Hello. Some of you-who am I kidding, none of you-may recognise this. Well, this is a sequel to my one-shot** ** _The things we would do for love_** **and I have posted this before. However, I never finished it, and I think every story deserves and ending so I decided now was the time. I have made a 'few' changes *cough cough*, so I'm posting this again. Just FYI, this was Beta'd by the wonderful Arianna Koz, so go check her out and say hi (she's lovely!). Anyway, please review and enjoy the entire story! Oh, one more thing. I had no idea when I originally started writing this but there's this incredible song called Heaven sent, it's by a bend called Front Porch Step, and it fits in with the story perfectly. Anyway...Yeah! As you were.**


	2. Chapter 2

Tommy was a perfect example of why the world is unfair. Tommy was only ten, he was happy and bright and he was popular. He had charisma beyond his years and the all the chivalry of a gentleman. But, there was something else about Tommy. Tommy was terminally ill. He had cancer in his brain.

Magnus would go and tend to Tommy each morning, taking blood or bringing food, and the two would laugh and joke and it would be nice. They could almost forget they were in a hospital, and pretend that Tommy wasn't going to die.

But Tommy did. Tommy died two days before Magnus got home from California, and that made him hate the place even more. His blood ran cold at the thought that he had died and he hadn't even been able to say goodbye one last time.

On his first day back after his break, Magnus' eyes were constantly drawn to the empty bed, soon to be filled with some other person who he would have to look after. That, he thought, was unfair within itself.

So engrossed in the lack of Tommy was Magnus, that he didn't even notice the stern-looking, red-haired woman sitting in the waiting area. It wasn't until he heard a familiar "Mags!" that he saw her. It brought back so many memories, Magnus though he was going to faint.

Clary threw herself at Magnus, wrapping her arms around his neck so tightly, he had no other choice but to hug back. He wrapped his own around her waist, careful not to pull her long hair. She smelled just like he remembered; strawberries and vanilla.

"Clary! What're you doing here?" Magnus asked, finally pushing her away.

"Well, Simon said you couldn't make up your mind about London! I was here on business anyway, I thought I'd drop by and tell you that you have to come!" Clary explained, her words quick and mumbled, but loud and clear at the same time.

Magnus sighed and said, "You know why I can't come."

Clary looked at him with sad eyes. "I know, Mags. But everyone else is going to be there! You should be too!"

Magnus nodded solemnly and looked away. Alec wasn't his only excuse not to want to go back to London, there were other factors. Ones he had only told Clary. Ones he would rather die than have anyone else know.

"I'll see, but no promises." Magnus shrugged.

Clary sighed in frustration and said, "I'm going to be here for another two days. Call me if you can come, if not...We'll miss you."

Magnus nodded. He and Clary shared one last hug before Clary hurried back out of the hospital. The last time Magnus had seen Clary, something similar had happened. It was the day of Jocelyn's funeral—the day of Clary's mother's funeral—and Magnus had a plane to catch. Clary had said those exact words to him before he had chosen to leave without saying goodbye.

The rest of the day, Magnus seemed unable to do anything right. It was like he was tired, but he was wide awake. He was bored, but fascinated by what he was doing. It was like Magnus had been replaced with some sort of robot, and everyone noticed. When the end of his shift finally came, it wasn't just him who was thankful.

He climbed into his car and groaned at the bag on his passenger seat; he still had some unpacking to do! He stared at the bag so long that it became blurry. But then he saw something. It was white, rectangular, and had his name scrawled across the front.

Magnus snatched it out of the bag and ripped open the envelope. He quickly read the letter inside, and once he had finished, he almost forgot what it meant to breathe. He felt numb, but all of the cells in his body were on fire at the same time.

Dear Magnus,

I don't know what I did, but whatever it was I'm sorry. I don't know if this was just some game to you, or just some stupid fling, but I loved you. Still do, which is ridiculous. I go to Idris next week, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry about your parents. I heard you were leaving soon, too. That you were going to medical school in New York. Congratulations, honestly. I hope you do well in your life. I just wanted to say that I would have sacrificed everything for you. My place at Idris, my future as a lawyer, if that meant I'd have a future with you. I loved you and you broke my heart. I hope that you have a great life, and that this feeling in my chest goes away soon, because honestly it's killing me. I keep going over it all in my head, and I don't regret it, even though I know I should. I just wish you'd tell me what went wrong. I still love you, Magnus Bane.

Love,

Alec x

Magnus sat in his car, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. He had tried to convince himself time and time again that he was over Alec, nearly had himself believing it, too. But he always had his suspicions that he wasn't quite there. This only served to prove it.

He sighed through the downpour of salty wet and reached for his phone. He typed in his pin, one he hadn't changed in years. Quickly, he clicked onto his contacts and scrolled down until he found the number he was looking for.

"Mags?" The voice on the other end came.

"Hey, Clary. So, uh, tell me about London."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: At some point in this chapter, it says 'obnoxiously loudly'. My Beta thought that it should be 'obnoxiously loud', but we agreed that in context neither sounded 'right'. If you can shed any light on the situation, please PM so that I can change it so it does make sense. Also, the next chapter may take a while because...well, because I'm an idiot and deleted it by accident. Anyway, enjoy.**

"Au revoir, Monsieur!" The stewardess said cheerily as Magnus walked off the aeroplane.

The tunnel between the airport and the plane was cold, but Magnus found it comforting. He hated flying. He hated how his ears popped when they took off and how no matter where he was flying to, he always ended up squished between two people who both smelled bad and didn't speak a word of English. The food was terrible, they only ever had dated films, and don't even mention the toilets.

The crossover in Paris was stressful, and the short plane journey between had felt like it lasted centuries. Magnus didn't even mind the queues for customs, he was just glad to be back on solid ground. He showed his visa and passport to the man at the desk, answered all the questions. Why are you here? How long will you be staying? Have you ever been to the UK before? The usual. He collected his bags and tutted at the black stain across the front, which hadn't been there in New York.

Then he was hailing a Taxi outside. He gave the driver the address and sat back to enjoy the drive. It was an old-style black taxi that—even though he hadn't been in one for at least six years—seemed familiar to Magnus. He looked out of the window just as they passed Big Ben. He was awe-struck by the London Eye, even though he had been on it a multitude of times.

The driver stopped outside a huge building. It looked like something out of New York, and Magnus felt like he could breathe again. In huge golden letters, the sign read Mitchelli. The website had been right, it was classy!

Magnus climbed out of the taxi, and the driver walked around and gave him his bag. He paid the fare, and took a few steps away from the car. Bag in hand, he marveled at the sight of the building looming above him. He breathed in the cool English autumn evening air, and couldn't stop himself from smiling.

A doorman with a silly hat and a gold name badge welcomed him into the hotel as he walked through the door, and Magnus smiled in response. He walked up the desk and gave his name. The woman behind it typed obnoxiously loudly on her computer and gave Magnus the key to his room, 339. He thanked her then walked over to the elevator. He pressed the button for his floor and the doors began to slide close.

"Hold the elevator!" A voice Magnus vaguely recognised called.

Magnus stepped forward, and the doors slid back open. His heart dropped when he saw who it was. Before him stood Alec. His dark hair was pushed back into a quiff, and his blue eyes glinted in the light cast from the chandeliers on the high ceilings above. He was pulling two suitcases behind him, one black and the other hot pink. Following him was a girl. She was short with blonde hair, green eyes and tanned skin.

"Thanks." Alec breathed, stepping into the elevator, the girl following behind him.

"No problem." Magnus muttered, refusing to make eye contact and pressing the button for his floor once again.

The girl was excitedly reading a brochure on the sights around London, "Oh wow!" She cried, and it echoed around the steel confines. "Alec, they have a huge shop here called Selfridges. We should go!"

Alec didn't respond, simply reached over and pressed the button to his own floor. It was the one above Magnus'. Alec then straightened himself back up and sighed, almost like he would rather have been anywhere else. Magnus felt the same.

"Alec, can we go see the Queen?!" The girl shouted far too loudly for the small space, making Magnus' ears ring.

"No, Mimi, we can't go see the queen." Alec growled.

The smell of his cologne was everywhere, it was thick and suffocating, and Magnus was struggling to breathe through it. He was so thankful when the elevator stopped and the doors opened out onto his floor. He hurried out, and continued down a long corridor until he found his door.

He unlocked the door and rushed inside, slamming it behind him. He left his bag by the door and walked into the room. It was large and clean. The bed looked crisp, the TV was large on the wall, and the view from the balcony was of rows of high class shops, like his apartment back in New York.

He took a quick look inside the bathroom and decided that it would do. He didn't really care where he was staying, not now he had seen Alec. All he wanted was to sleep forever. He flopped down onto his bed face-first and sighed. Maybe London had been a bad idea after all.

Inside his own hotel room, Alec had locked the bathroom door behind him and resisted the urge to punch something. Though the complimentary shower gel was practically begging to be flung across the room. He had known full well when he agreed to come on this trip that there was a high chance of him seeing Magnus again. What he hadn't realised was that it would hurt so damn much.

When he had first received the call from Simon, Alec was halfway through a case. At first he was sure he wouldn't come, but then Mimi said he had to. Said it would be fun for them both to visit London, and a way to relieve the insurmountable stress Alec was under.

Mimi was Alec's secretary. She was one of the first people he had hired when he opened his law firm last year. It was so cliche, the whole scenario, made even more so when they ended up sleeping together. It wasn't that Alec didn't like Mimi, she was kind and he couldn't deny that she was pretty. There was just one tiny problem.

Alec was gay. He tried to deny it, but he knew, deep down. He had first figured it out years ago. He figured it out when Magnus first moved to California. That, he thought, was the root of the problem. After Magnus had broken up with him, he stuck to studying. That was his life, textbooks and lectures. Late nights in the local library to make sure he knew everything about everything.

Then he went to Idris. He was top in every class there, and graduated with enough qualifications to start his new law firm immediately. All to make his father happy. All to make his father proud. Mimi was just another part of the facade, another prop to help him play the part of dutiful son. Another way to show people that he was 'normal'. And now Magnus was back in his life again, and he was stuck with Mimi.

Alec splashed his face with cold water then left the bathroom. "I need to meet everyone at Luvie's at seven, that's an hour away. Simon couldn't make you a reservation, sorry." Alec lied.

"Oh." Mimi said, disappointed, "I thought that we would maybe be able to do some stuff together? Like see the sights and stuff?"

"Sorry, Mimi. It's just, I haven't seen everyone for four years." He replied.

"But, I thought the whole point of this holiday was for me to meet your family, and for us to have fun together?" Mimi asked, her voice raising slightly.

Alec shrugged and said, "Maybe later in the week." With that he grabbed a clean set of clothes out of his bag, and returned to the bathroom to get changed. He chose to ignore Mimi's glare, and enjoyed the privacy. It would be one long damn week.


	4. Chapter 4

Magnus sat in the back of the taxi, thinking. He wasn't thinking of anything specific, just thinking. He was thinking about the hospital back in New York, and of the iced coffee in California, and then of his old house in London.

The old house was nothing like the one they moved to in California. Where the American house was spacious and clean with a huge garden and friendly neighbours, the house here in London was on a particularly rough street. The peeling paint had revealed red bricks and mortar, and the neighbours were an old couple who were the most unpleasant people Magnus had ever met.

He quickly let any thoughts of his old life slip out of his head. He didn't need that negativity right before seeing his friends again for the first time in four years. Apart from occasional phone calls with Simon, one visit from Clary at the hospital, and a seconds long near-silent elevator ride with Alec, Magnus hadn't spoken to the people he had grown to love since he had left California.

The taxi stopped outside a stout building, adorned with burnt orange wish lanterns, and a door painted a yellow only comparable to the sun. Luvie's was painted above the door, and underneath were several Chinese characters.

Magnus, quite reluctantly, climbed out of the taxi and paid the driver the fare. He rubbed his hands together, hoping to generate some heat to combat the cold air surrounding him. Despite everything, it still felt almost right to be there.

He looked around trying to find someone he recognized–Simon, he assumed, would most likely arrive first–but found no one. He quickly checked through the window to see if they had gone inside without him, but saw nobody he knew. In the end, he gave up and stepped away from the restaurant, and back into the street. It was deadly silent, and Magnus couldn't help feeling uncomfortable...

"Magnus Bane!" A familiar voice called.

Magnus spun round quickly, and grinned when he saw Simon walking towards him. His long brown hair was in a knot on his head, and loose strands surrounded his face. His brown eyes were no longer hidden by the ugly glasses he once had to wear, and his pale skin looked fitting in the London background. He had even dressed up, donning tight fitting black trousers, a black and white patterned shirt and a black tight fitting blazer.

"Simon Lewis the rock-star!" Magnus replied as Simon pulled him into a tight hug.

Both were laughing when they pulled away as Simon said, "Well, haven't you changed!"

It was true, Magnus had changed a lot. He no longer wore his dark hair in spikes that Good Charlotte would be proud of, instead opting for a more modern cut of a mop on top of his head but with it shaved underneath. He also chose not to wear quite so much eyeliner, wearing none at all anymore. He felt that it truly showed of his green eyes.

"Likewise!" Magnus said grinning.

The two stepped back away from the road as a taxi pulled up too close to them for their liking. Within seconds, a blur of red and green was pushing Magnus backwards. A blur that smelled distinctly of vanilla and strawberries.

"Hey, Clary!" Magnus laughed, wrapping his arms around her to return the hug.

Behind her, a tall man with blonde hair and golden eyes was paying the driver of the taxi. Jace, Magnus thought, had changed least of all. Maybe not quite so thin, but otherwise completely identical to his younger self.

"Hey Mags, Simon. How are you guys?" Jace asked, drawing Simon into a friendly hug.

The small reunion was broken by the unmistakable sound of stilettos on concrete. Everyone turned to see who it was strutting down the street. No one was surprised when they saw her. Wearing far too little for the freezing temperature of the London evening, was Isabelle Lightwood.

"Hey!" She cried when she saw everyone, but didn't quicken her pace–most likely so she didn't fall and break her neck, but no one pointed that out.

A chorus of "Hi Izzy."and "Hey." and "Hello" all echoed through the group as she joined them. Laughter ensued as they began reminiscing about Isabelle's past wardrobe malfunctions, and how she also hadn't changed a bit. Still the same long, straight black hair. Dark, mysterious eyes. Tall and thin. Beautiful.

So immersed were they in their little reunion that no one noticed the older Lightwood sibling appearing at the end of the street. He watched on silently as they kept chatting and laughing. And despite his best attempts not to, his eyes were drawn to Magnus...


	5. Chapter 5

Alec sat laughing with the others—making comments when necessary—acting like everything was fine. The food arrived, and shortly after Magnus returned to the table from the bathroom. The conversation topic was Simon's band and everything seemed fine.

But, on the inside, Alec felt as though he was being buried alive. He could feel the anger and hurt radiating from Magnus. By the end of the evening, both men were desperate to get away from the other. They said goodbye as politely as they could muster, but their friends had one more way for them to feel uncomfortable.

"Why don't you guys share a cab back to your hotel?" Isabelle said, smiling at them.

From the second they had sat down at the table, everything had gone wrong. They ordered their meals and drinks in near-silence, but once the waitress had left the table the conversation got into full flow.

"So, what is everyone doing now?" Isabelle asked, taking off her thick faux fur coat, revealing more pale skin than was advisable. Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus could see the guy at the next table's mouth droop at the sight.

"I'm a doctor." Magnus began, diverting his attention away from the stranger.

"What field." Jace asked, taking another sip of his colorful tequila.

"Pediatrician." Magnus replied.

"So, you work with kids?" Clary began, "That's great. I, uh, I work for a major cosmetics corporation."

Alec nodded, but he wasn't really following the conversation. His mind was racing. He didn't know what to say, didn't know who it was safe to talk to, and didn't know why he had agreed to come. All he wanted to do was go home.

"What are you doing now?" Jace asked Alec, still laughing at a joke someone had made, which Alec had missed.

"I, uh, run a law firm back in Florida." He replied, taking a sip from his wine.

"You went to Idris then?" Magnus asked quietly.

It was the first time in five years that Magnus and Alec had made eye contact. It made the hairs on the back of Magnus's neck stand on end. It made his heart beat faster. Alec nodded then looked away. He wouldn't even answer a simple yes or no.

"So, uh, Clary. You and Jace are the only non-singles here." Isabelle said, trying to change the conversation, and breaking the awkward silence

"No, not just them." Alec protested quietly causing an outburst of noise from most of the table. Only Magnus stayed silent."Her name's Mimi, and she's my secretary."

"Your secretary?" Jace asked, impressed.

Clary stomped on his foot forcefully and said, "What the hell sort of name is Mimi? She sounds very conceited." Magnus silently thanked Clary for not being excited about Alec's new conquest, and she continued; "Besides, I wasn't aware that you played for that team."

"I was seventeen, I was confused. It was nothing, really." Alec lied, putting as much anger as possible into his words.

Magnus's heart broke into a thousand little pieces. The letter—the letter had said he would always love him. Was he still just confused? How dare he! Magnus excused himself to the toilet and dashed into a cubicle. He willed himself not to cry. He could not cry. Not here, not now, and definitely not in front of Alec. Why the hell had he come back to England?! Why had he lied to himself? After five years, of course Alec had moved on. He was an idiot to still be living in the past. He felt a tear trail down his cheek and admitted that he would probably never be over Alec Lightwood.

After the meal, the group stood awhile outside. They were all talking—mostly about Jace and Clary's daughter, Josie—and laughing. Magnus stood in the background, trying not to draw any attention to himself, when Simon said he had to get back to his hotel. Clary and Jace both agreed that they needed to talk to Josie on Skype, and Isabelle moaned that she was 'hella tired'.

"Why don't you guys share a cab back to your hotel?" Isabelle said, smiling at Alec and Magnus.

Both boys tried as hard as they could to think of legitimate reasons not to share a taxi, but fell short of an explanation so instead smiled and agreed. Their friends left them alone, and they stood in silence as they waited for the taxi to arrive.

When it did, they climbed in, and the awkward atmosphere seemed to follow them. Magnus gave the driver the hotel's address, then settled back against the warm leather for what he knew would be the most awkward taxi ride he ever had to sit through.

Alec stared at Magnus as the driver started the engine. After a while he broke the silence by saying, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Magnus asked turning to look at Alec, surprise evident on his face.

"For what I said. I shouldn't have been so blunt. I'm sorry." Alec explained, looking Magnus straight in the eye.

It was a voice Magnus had memorized, and it sounded just as good as it had the last time they had spoken. It was soft with a gravelly undertone. Magnus loved American accents in general, but Alec's especially could make him feel calm and soothed.

"You were just being honest." Magnus replied, looking away.

"No, I wasn't." Alec whispered as the driver pulled up outside the hotel.

He climbed out quickly before Magnus could say anything. He paid his half of the fare, then hurried through the hotel doors. He didn't even bother waiting for the elevator, instead opting to run up the eight flights of stairs until he reached his floor.

He rushed down the corridor to his room, breathing heavily from so many stairs, unlocked the door then walked inside as calmly as he could. Inside, Mimi was fast asleep in bed wearing a lace red nightgown which Alec thought she must have bought from Victoria Secret.

Alec sighed. How had he managed to screw up so badly? He was a gay guy in love with his ex-boyfriend, who was dating his secretary who he didn't even like that much to try and convince everyone that he was normal. He sighed quietly, and stripped down to his undershirt and boxer shorts before climbing into bed next to Mimi.

Meanwhile, in his own room, Magnus lay in bed staring at the ceiling. What did Alec mean by saying he wasn't being honest. Which part had he lied about? Magnus fidgeted under the heavy duvet trying his hardest to get comfortable, but all he could think about was the empty space next to him, and how Mimi didn't have to experience that. Magnus thought that was probably most unfair of all.


	6. Chapter 6

"Clary called," Alec heard from the other end of the line.

It was the first time he and his father had spoken in nearly eight months, and he didn't even bother to say 'hello' first. That's what their relationship had become, after Robert discovered that Magnus had broken up with his son. Alec didn't know it, but it was because his father couldn't look him in the eyes without feeling guilty. It was, after all, his fault that his son often locked himself away from the rest of the world so he could do whatever it was he did on his own-study, Robert suspected.

"What did she have to say?" Alec asked formally.

Mimi was in the shower. She had woken up angry from the night before, and had barely muttered a 'good morning' before locking herself in the bathroom. Guilt threatened Alec, but he fought it. He couldn't feel guilty; he couldn't feel anything. He wouldn't allow himself to care, not anymore. Not after Magnus...

There were others after him, of course, that caught Alec's eye. Florida was full of beautiful men, and there were plenty of guys at Idris who Alec couldn't deny were attractive. But he was at Idris, and he was in Florida. He had a new life, away from his past, and all the mistakes he had made in California. He had a new life after Magnus, one where he could try to make his father proud.

"She said you have a girlfriend." Robert stated, sounding bored.

Alec looked towards the bathroom door as he replied, "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Robert echoed, and Alec could almost hear him raise his eyebrows.

"She's, uh, not really my girlfriend. More a girl who, uh, I spend a lot of time with." Alec explained. Even he knew how pathetic he sounded.

"Does that not make her your girlfriend?" Robert asked, sounding unconvinced.

"It would if there were any real feelings involved." Alec mumbled, before remembering who he was talking to.

Robert stayed silent for nearly a minute, but to Alec it felt like centuries. "Alec Lightwood, I raised you to be a good man. I did not raise you to use or to lie to people."

"I'm sorry." Alec breathed.

"I have a meeting, but we'll talk later. You better treat your not-girlfriend right, Alec Lightwood, or you will hear about it." With that, Robert hung up the phone.

Alec let out a groan, and threw his mobile behind him onto the bed. He pressed his face into his hands. He had messed up so, so bad. There was no more pretending that everything was okay, no more pretending that Mimi meant something to him, no more pretending like he had his life together.

But as Mimi walked out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but the grin on her face, Alec figured that one more day of pretending wouldn't do much harm. Right?

Magnus sat in a cafe just down the street from his hotel, eating a full English breakfast for the first time in 6 years. Everything tasted amazing, even if his surroundings were somewhat dingy and run-down. Even the smell immersed him back into London, and he almost wondered how he had lived without it. Almost.

A waiter grinned at Magnus as he passed, and Magnus winked back. A blush creeped onto the waiter's cheeks, and Magnus smiled down onto his plate. His phone was in his hand, and he was scrolling through his Facebook page, reading through all the rubbish people he barely knew put on there. He was halfway through reading a status written by a male nurse he went on a few dates with a couple months ago, when Simon's picture appeared on his screen.

He slid the answer bar, and pressed the phone to his ear. "Simon Lewis." Magnus said, actually smiling for once-a rare occurrence.

"Magnus Bane! We're going to see a show tonight, Matilda. Wear something nice. It starts at six, so you've got the rest of the day to go shopping, or whatever." Simon explained, the noise of guitars and drums in the background.

"Nice. See you then." Magnus grinned.

"Simon out." Simon shouted over the sound of a syllable crashing, and someone yelling something behind him.

Magnus actually laughed out loud, and placed his phone down onto the table. He picked his knife and fork back up, and continued eating. His eyes stayed down until he heard, "Isn't that your friend?" in a very feminine voice.

Magnus looked up, and the beans that were on his fork fell back onto his plate with a disturbing plop he was too distracted to notice. His mouth dropped open as he stared at Alec, who said nothing and stared back. Magnus looked from Alec to Mimi and back, a mixture of emotions running through him, coursing through his veins. Making him feel almost sick.

"Hi, I'm Mimi De Viande, I'm Alec's girlfriend. We met for like, three seconds or whatever. Are you Simon?" Mimi asked, striding forward and holding out her hand.

Magnus' brain caught up with the situation, and he finally closed his mouth. He stood up and shook Mimi's hand, "No, no. I'm Magnus. Magnus Bane."

"Oh." Mimi exclaimed, and Magnus wondered if she was aware of how loud she always seemed to be. "Sorry, Alec never mentioned you."

Magnus' breath caught in his throat. Alec had never mentioned him. Not once. Not a single time. And Magnus was still in love with him. But Alec hadn't even mentioned him. Then Magnus remembered he hadn't mentioned Alec, either. And suddenly everything seemed clearer. They were each other's dirty secrets. Alec for Magnus as the one that got away, and Magnus for Alec as a little experimentation when they were young.

"Uh, sorry, it was nice to meet you but I was just about to leave." Magnus lied, sliding on his jacket, and putting his phone in his pocket. As he passed Alec, he paused to say, "If he hasn't already, I think Simon's going to call you about doing something tonight."

Then he left the cafe. He turned towards the underground and tried to forget all about Alec and Mimi. Retail therapy, Magnus thought, must be the way to go. He always felt better spending the money he earned, like the circle of life being completed.

Back inside the cafe, Alec was sat waiting for their food to come. Mimi was blathering on about something, something she had planned for them to do together, when Alec's phone vibrated in his pocket. He told Mimi he had to go to the bathroom. Once in there, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He found the right name in his missed call list, and pressed dial.

"Alec, hey. You busy?" Simon asked down the phone.

"No, I can talk." Alec replied, staring at himself in the bathroom mirror.

"Great. We're going to see Matilda, and I wanted to know if I should get your girlfriend a ticket." Simon explained.

"No, she'll probably want to go out into London or something." Alec lied quickly. The idea of Magnus and Mimi spending time together was unbearable, especially after what had just happened..

"Okay." Simon said, "See you later. Simon out."

Simon hung up the phone, and guilt filled Alec's stomach. But then it was gone. He glared at himself in the mirror, challenging himself, staring at himself. Looking at the man he'd become, a figure so similar to himself, yet so very different. He growled at himself before leaving the bathroom and taking his seat back at the table with Mimi. As he looked into her big green eyes, the guilt settled back into his stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

Alec was in the bathroom, haphazardly getting ready to go to the theatre. He'd lied to Mimi, saying that there were only a few seats left. More lies in the mess that Alec had managed to create for himself. He sighed at himself in the mirror, his reflection surrounded by condensation. His blue eyes were bright and his black hair was pushed back into a quiff, all remnants of his nerdy past self gone. He stepped out of the bathroom, and found Mimi sitting on their bed. She had Alec's phone in her lap.

"There were only a few seats left, right?" Mimi asked, refusing to meet Alec's gaze.

"Uh, yeah. I did ask if you could come." Alec lied.

"Right. Then how come Simon just rang to make sure you didn't want a ticket for me?" Mimi asked, looking straight at Alec. Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes.

"Mi-"

"Don't. Don't you dare. Don't make a fool out of me, Alec Lightwood. Do you love me?" Mimi interrupted angrily.

"I..." Alec began, "I don't know what to say."

"Is it him?" Mimi asked.

"Who?"

"Magnus."

"What? No I-"

"Don't lie to me, Alec. It's obvious from the way you look at him that you have some feelings for him. You'd have to be blind not to see it." Mimi explained, standing up and tossing Alec's phone at him. "Your family loves you, and your friends love you. You don't have to lie about who you are."

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm not gay!"

Alec's heart was beating far faster than he thought possible. He could hear a loud thud in his ears, and his palms were sweaty inside the fists he had balled his hands into. It couldn't be that obvious that Mimi-someone who knew nothing of his past, and of his relationship with Magnus-could tell that something was going on with him.

Mimi rolled her eyes so Alec continued, "Okay, yeah. I lied. I told Simon not to get you a ticket. Are you happy now? But it has nothing to do with Magnus, I just wanted to spend some time with my old friends alone."

"I thought you were a good man, Alec. I didn't think you'd ever lie to me. How many others have you told, huh? How many other lies?" Mimi hissed, narrowing her eyes at Alec. It would have been more threatening, had it not been for the tears. "TELL ME!" She cried.

"Fine, fine." Alec sighed. He took a deep breath in and began, "Before I went to Florida, Magnus and I dated. I was in love with him. Then, out of the blue, he dumped me. That crushed me. So I decided to forget about friends and relationships and focus on getting into Idris. At Idris, I focused on getting my degree. Then I met you, after I graduated. I hired you because you're a good worker, and then I slept with you because even I know you're hot, and I just needed someone to help convince...I don't know, myself? That I wasn't gay, and that I was normal. Then Simon called, and you were so desperate to meet everyone. I couldn't say no! I told Simon not to bother making you a reservation

yesterday, for the same reasons I told him not to get you a ticket today, because I didn't want you to meet everyone. I didn't want you to like them, and them to like you, because our entire relationship was a lie!"

After Alec finished talking, a silence settled between him and Mimi. He felt so bad for hurting her, honestly he did, but it felt so good to be honest for the first time in so long. To tell someone how badly he'd messed up, and for them to just listen to him whilst he explained. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Then he looked into Mimi's eyes.

"I'm so sorry Mimi." He breathed out.

"I'm going to go back to America, and I don't think I should work for you anymore." Mimi replied, refusing to meet Alec's eyes.

"No, you don't need to quit. You're good at your job, I shouldn't be the reason you have to find a new one."

Mimi nodded. "Okay. I'm going to go now. I hope you have a nice night, Alec. And you should just tell him. Magnus, I mean. You do love him, I can tell, so you should just be honest with him."

Mimi walked over to her vibrant suitcase where it stood in the corner of the room, pulled up it's handle, then pulled it behind her as she walked over to the door. She gave Alec a quick kiss on the cheek, and continued to walk out of the door. Alec watched her go. He didn't do anything to stop her, because what was the point?

After she was gone, Alec growled and threw his phone onto his bed. He grabbed his leather jacket and room keys, before charging out of the door. Through fear of seeing Mimi on the way down, he chose against using the elevator, and instead rushed down the flights of stairs to the ground floor.

He hurried out of the lobby and hailed a taxi that was passing. He told the taxi driver that he wanted to be taken to a bar he'd read about called The Drive, then practically leaped into the back of the vehicle. He closed his eyes and waited for the regret he was sure he would feel to settle in his stomach.


	8. Chapter 8

"Where is he?" Jace moaned, looking around the street outside the theatre, as if Alec would just suddenly appear out of thin air.

"I just got off the phone with the hotel, they said he'd asked a taxi to take him to a bar called The Drive." Magnus explained, sliding his phone into his jacket pocket.

"Great," Simon sighed. "The musical starts in an hour!"

The group looked around each other, silently asking what they were going to do, and who was going to do it. Magnus sighed and said, "I'll go get him." He stepped away from the group, who stared as he went and hailed a taxi.

Clary walked over to him. "You don't have to go. I will, if you want?" She whispered, ensuring the others remained oblivious to the conversation.

"No, I'll go." Magnus said, nodding. "But thanks." With that, he climbed into the taxi and told the driver "The Drive." before watching as his friends became specs in the distance.

Magnus got to the bar ten minutes later. He paid the driver the fare, and looked up at the building. It was more of a club than a bar, with bright lights illuminating the street and music flooding onto the path. He walked over to the entrance where a tall man with dark hair and intimidating brown eyes stood between him and the door.

"ID." The man grunted. Magnus pulled his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out his driver's license. The man squinted to read the information, before stepping out of Magnus' way, allowing him entrance.

As soon as he walked in, he began looking around for Alec. He found him, after a minute of stumbling blindly around the dance floor, sitting at the bar. He walked over to him, and tapped him on the shoulder. Alec turned around to face him and grinned widely. Magnus could smell the alcohol on Alec's breath.

"Hey!" Alec slurred, "It's Magnus."

"You're drunk." Magnus stated, as Alec nearly fell off his stool as he tried to stand up.

"Noooo." Alec giggled, as Magnus helped him back onto the seat.

"Why have you been drinking?" Magnus asked impatiently, holding Alec back by his shoulder, not allowing him to fall forward again.

"Mimi." Alec spat, pulling a face. "She said I didn't love her so she left."

Magnus sighed, and draped one of Alec's arms around his shoulder. "What're you doing?" Alec asked, leaning heavily into Magnus' side.

"I'm taking you back to the hotel." Magnus explained, leading Alec out of the bar.

Alec was mumbling incoherently, and stroking Magnus' face softly. Magnus quickly texted Simon to tell him that they couldn't make it to the musical, keeping most of his attention on Alec. He hailed a

taxi, and managed to shove Alec into it before he climbed in himself. Alec was still pawing at Magnus, sitting half in his lap.

"Alec, seriously, how drunk are you?" Magnus laughed, and Alec tried to sit on his lap again. Alec missed his target, and ended up sliding to the floor.

"Humm..." Alec replied in mock thought, "Drunk enough to do this..."

Alec pushed himself up, so he was on his knees between Magnus' legs. He reached forward, fully intending to tease Magnus through his clothes, but Magnus was too quick. He caught Alec's wrist before Alec could touch him.

"C'mon Lightwood, off the floor." Magnus grunted, pulling Alec up and sitting him back onto the leather seat next to him.

Alec pouted adorably at Magnus, before trying again to sit in his lap. It was awkward, and limbs were everywhere, and it didn't help matters that Magnus was trying to keep him _off_ his lap. Eventually, Alec settled for sitting across the taxi seats, with just his legs sprawled across Magnus' thick thighs.

After what felt like an eternity, the driver pulled up outside the hotel. Magnus thanked him, and quickly paid the fare. Then he turned to Alec, who was leaning nonchalantly against the back door of the taxi. Magnus sighed before putting Alec's arm across his shoulders once again. Alec smelled like alcohol, and expensive cologne, but underneath it all he still smelled like Alec. Like home.

Magnus grunted at himself, and helped Alec stumble through the lobby of the hotel. He pressed the button for the elevator, then waited impatiently for it to arrive, all the while keeping an arm around Alec's waist so he didn't stumble off somewhere. He could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket-most likely Simon-and considered taking the stairs. But Alec could barely navigate the flat surface of the lobby, let alone eight flights of stairs.

The lift arrived finally, and Magnus half shoved Alec inside. He dreaded to think what he must look like, so apparently eager to manhandle Alec into an elevator, but he knew he needed to get Alec to bed to sleep it off. Alec's head would hurt tomorrow, Magnus knew he'd never been any good at handling hangovers. Back in California, Magnus would just look after him; supplying headache tablets, water and letting Alec use his body as a pillow. There was no doing that now.

Alec had gone back to caressing Magnus' cheek, and nuzzling into his neck. Alec placed a soft kiss just left of Magnus' Adams apple, and Magnus had to bite his lip to suppress his moan. Alec was killing him, because as much as it felt good having Alec's body next to his own again, Magnus knew Alec was really drunk. He'd remember none of it in the morning.

The lift stopped on Alec's floor, and Magnus supported most of Alec's weight as they made their way down the corridor. The sudden movement made Alec stop his delicate assault on Magnus' neck, and made him focus on actually moving his legs-well, as best he could whilst being totally at the mercy of the alcohol in his system.

"Which room's yours?" Magnus asks, his voice slightly strained at having to practically carry a full grown man for so long.

"415." Alec slurred, looking at Magnus through hooded eyes. "You're really pretty." He added, reaching up and tracing Magnus' jaw with his fingertips.

"Thanks." Magnus mumbled, moving forwards again, keep himself alert and looking for the right room number.

He found it surprisingly quickly to say a lot of his focus was on how gentle Alec was being, caressing his face once again. Magnus grunted to a halt outside Alec's door, and looked expectantly at Alec. But Alec just stared back at Magnus, his blue irises clouding the longer he held Magnus' gaze.

"Your key." Magnus said through gritted teeth, holding out his free hand for Alec to place his key into.

Alec took his time digging around in all of his pockets, before finally retrieving his key card. At the same time, his phone fell out, falling to the carpeted floor with a thud. _Great_ , Magnus thought, _he put his room key with his phone_. He bit back his frustrated growl, before taking the key card from Alec and sliding into the slot. Nothing happened, much to Magnus' dismay, but it didn't surprise him as he remembered how little luck he had been granted over the few days previous.

Magnus considered going back down to the lobby, and asking the receptionist for a new key, but Alec was just getting more touchy-feely. Magnus could only hold him off for so long, and Alec would probably have him every way possible before the elevator reached the bottom floor.

Instead, Magnus reached down carefully and retrieved Alec's phone. He then dragged Alec back the way they had just come-ignoring the hand that was untucking Magnus' new white shirt-back to the lift. Once inside, he pressed the number to his own floor, and hoped to whatever higher being there was that they'd get back to the room before Magnus couldn't keep his hands of Alec anymore.

Alec was vaguely aware of what was happening, mostly focused on the feel of Magnus' body next to him. Through the drunken haze, he could feel Magnus' hard abs under one hand, as he'd managed to untuck his shirt and slide it under. He could also feel the smooth skin of Magnus' neck under his lips. Magnus, Alec noted, had made no attempt to touch him back. Not that that stopped him from touching Magnus, though.

They had just entered a hotel room, and Alec knew it was Magnus' only because he could smell Magnus in it, a smell he had memorized years ago. It smelled of honey, cologne and something distinctly Magnus.

Alec remembered wondering once if he could get high on just the scent alone, as he and Magnus sat in Magnus' old bedroom listening to music and mumbling to each other.

"You're just gonna have to sleep in my bed tonight." Magnus explained, leading Alec to the bed. He noted Magnus' voice sounded strained as he continued, "We'll get you a new room key tomorrow."

Alec mumbled something in reply, but not even he was sure what he had said. He let Magnus lay him onto the bed, not bothering to put up a fight as fatigue overwhelmed him. Magnus removed his shoes, then stepped back away from the bed whispering "Sleep." as he went. Alec was about to ask where Magnus was going to sleep, but fatigue overcame him too quickly.

Magnus pulled out his phone and checked his messages. They were all from Clary.

Have you got him?

Are you okay?

Mags.

Magnus.

MAGNUS BANE!

Please, c'mon.

Answer your freaking phone!

I am officially unfriending you in life you don't answer your phone in the next ten minutes.

Magnus laughed quiet and breathily before texting back; _We're fine, but Alec is drunk beyond belief. Love you too._


	9. Chapter 9

Alec was shaken awake the next day, and immediately his head hurt. It felt like someone was bashing his skull with a hammer and he felt like he might puke from the pain. Turned out, it was just Magnus and the mother of all hangovers. Magnus pressed a glass of water and a pill into Alec's hands, before stepping away from the bed and out of Alec's line of sight.

Alec took the headache tablet and a long gulp of water, before sitting in a bed he didn't recognize. He looked around the room, and could remember the night before. He couldn't remember everything, just snippets. Buying his first drink in The Drive, Magnus coming to fetch him on his eleventh, Magnus taking him home in the taxi. He could vaguely remember trying to sit in Magnus' lap, and stroking the side of his face.

He looked up at Magnus who had returned from the bathroom, and noticed the faint line of hickeys on his neck. His first thought was, _Magnus got some action last night_. His second thought was, _Crap, I was his action_.

"Hi." Alec croaked, staring at Magnus in disbelief.

"You need a new room key, and you need to eat something, and you need to ring Simon to say sorry for last night." Magnus explained quickly, lifting his black suitcase onto the end of the bed and shoving a shirt inside.

"Are you leaving?" Alec asked, standing up shakily.

"Uh," Magnus started, looking up from his suitcase. "Yeah, the hospital called and they need me back."

Alec nodded, and looked away. He reached down and pulled his shoes on, trying to process it all. First Mimi had left, and now Magnus too? Was Alec really that terrible that people left the country to get away from him? He clenched his fists and refused to let this bother him. He didn't have any right to be mad at Magnus.

"Everyone's going to brunch at a cafe in the city, at eleven. Some place called Elizabeth Two, fancy apparently. I won't be joining you." Magnus explained, zipping up the case. Alec nodded, unable to find the words. "I...It was nice to see you again, Alec. I miss you."

Alec's breath caught in his throat, and he could only manage a nod. He cleared his throat, releasing how stupid he seemed and said, "I'll ride down with you, in the elevator."

Magnus nodded in reply, smiling a small smile, and slid his suitcase onto the floor. He pulled on his jacket, pulled up the bag's handle, and gestured for Alec to walk ahead of him out of the room. Alec walked silently through the door, thoughts swarming his head as Magnus followed him.

Magnus had only been in England for two days, and he was leaving already. They were supposed to be there a week, yet he was leaving early? Leaving everyone again? A sour taste settled in Alec's mouth, and guilt overcame him. Was Magnus leaving because of him?

"Why does the hospital need you?" Alec asked, skeptically.

Magnus was silent for a few moments before responding. "They, uh, mixed up some holidays. They need me back."

Magnus hated lying to Alec, especially after everything that had happened between them, and he felt a sick feeling settle in his stomach. But he couldn't tell Alec the truth, couldn't put Alec in danger like that. He cared way too much for Alec to put his life on the line.

"Right." Alec mumbled, unconvinced.

They both stepped into the elevator, and a slightly uncomfortable silence settled between them. Magnus stared at himself in the reflective walls of the elevator, and an undefinable number of insults to himself flew through his mind, like a constant hum that just wouldn't quieten.

Once the elevator reached the lobby, they stepped out, and the silence followed them. Whilst Magnus handed in his keys, Alec asked for new ones. He wasn't totally clear about what happened to them the night before, and didn't have the heart to ask Magnus. He could barely bring himself to look at Magnus knowing they'd be on different continents in a matter of hours.

They walked outside together, and Magnus thought he should probably hail a taxi, or call a cab company, or something. But he couldn't do it. He was rooted to the spot, staring into Alec's eyes in a way that barely classed as platonic, and felt like he couldn't move even an inch.

"So," Alec said, finally breaking the silence. "This is it."

"Yeah." Magnus replied, barely above a whisper. "This is it."

"You're getting good at leaving me, huh?" Alec whispered, but Magnus heard, and it made his blood run cold.

 _And always for your own good_ , Magnus thought, refusing to meet Alec's eyes. "Tell the others I wish I could stay for the whole week, and that it was good seeing them."

"But you need to go?"

"But I need to go."

Alec nodded. As if a spell was suddenly lifted from him, Magnus finally, _finally_ reached inside his pocket and pulled out his phone. He quickly called a taxi company, and was told he would have to wait twenty minutes for it to arrive. Taxi after taxi passed, but Alec didn't hail one, and Magnus felt a fear surge through him that Alec would wait there the entire time. Finally, after what felt like years, Alec hailed a taxi that was passing.

"I guess this is goodbye." Alec said quietly.

"I...Yeah, yeah this is goodbye." Magnus replied, his voice just as silent.

Alec nodded conclusively, before turning to climb into the taxi. He was half-turned when he seemed to decide otherwise, and turned back around abruptly. Magnus was too surprised to react when he felt Alec's lips pressing against his own. It took him seconds to comprehend what was happening and react, but the kiss lasted only seconds, and it was too late. Alec was climbing into the taxi, for real this time, and then Magnus watched the license plate become but a spot in the distance.

"No, Alec." Magnus mumbled to himself, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips. "It's you who's good at goodbyes."


	10. Chapter 10

Alec found himself rushing through the halls of a hospital he'd never been in before, hoping to hell he wasn't too late. He'd gotten the call at half past two in the morning, and caught a plane straight away. He'd never expected he'd do it, if it ever came down to it, not anymore. But here he was, leaving everything for Magnus.

 _"Magnus Bane." A low voice purred in Magnus' ear, "It's been a while, hasn't it, huh baby?"_

 _Magnus spun around faster than he believed humanly possible and craned his neck to see who was speaking. He felt his heart pounding in his ribcage. Jonathan. He hadn't seen Jonathan in years, hadn't spoken to him since he moved to America. Before that, they had dated._

 _Well, dated perhaps isn't the right word. Where Magnus lived, there were certain rules you had to follow if you wanted to survive, especially if your parents were too rich to live in the area you did. You keep you head down, and you keep to yourself, and you don't speak unless spoken to. Looking like Magnus did-black spikes and thick eyeliner-he was spoken to a lot. But not for the right reasons._

 _There were two battling 'gangs' on the streets, The Rebels and The Rockets. The Rockets especially liked to pick on Magnus, so of course The Rebels decided to make him an honorary member. Being an honorary member also meant sleeping with Jonathan whether he wanted to or not. The term dating is to be used very lightly._

 _"Uh, yeah." Magnus mumbled, his voice higher than he'd like it. "It's been a long time."_

 _Jonathan stepped forward towards Magnus, grinning. The smell of his cologne was suffocating, and there was a glint of something unthinkable in his eyes. Magnus had to tell himself not to flinch when Jonathan tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear._

 _"You got rid of the spikes." Jonathan hummed, "I liked them. Not the only thing you got rid of though, huh. Your little Californian is gone too, huh."_

 _"You said if I got rid of him, you wouldn't hurt him." Magnus hissed, worry surging through him._

 _"Hey baby, calm down. Adam's safe." Jonathan cooed, tracing a fingertip down the side of Magnus' face._

 _"Alec." Magnus corrected, unable to stop himself from shuddering._

 _"C'mon baby, don't be like that." Jonathan sighed, tilting Magnus' chin to look at him. "Don't be mad at me, baby, I'm sorry."_

 _Jonathan leaned closer, lips barely brushing Magnus', but that's all it took for Magnus to flinch away. That was a bad move on Magnus' part. Jonathan is what you might call volatile, and isn't too great at dealing with anything anywhere close to rejection._

 _Jonathan grabbed Magnus roughly by his waist, and shoved him hard against the wall, the brick nipping at the side of his face. Jonathan placed his mouth near to Magnus' ear, "C'mon baby, be good now." He growled threateningly, "You never do make things easy, do you baby? Tsk tsk, maybe I should teach you a lesson."_

Alec reached Magnus' room, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. When he'd gotten the call, they'd said something about an assault, and of course Alec feared the worst. He hadn't listened much to what the person on the phone had said, too busy thinking about how he was going to get to New York.

 _Magnus almost forgot to breathe when Luke turned up in London. Magnus had been out in search of coffee for Alec to help with his hangover, when he rounded a corner and Luke appeared. His eyes were the same, cold and unfeeling, but accompanied by a huge smile. Magnus felt sick immediately._

 _Luke was Jonathan's right hand man and-although neither of them would ever say anything due to Jonathan's tendency not to be very understanding-he often took advantage of Magnus' fear of the gang and his own status, by taking advantage of Magnus. He, in some ways, made Magnus' skin crawl far more than Jonathan ever did._

 _He had a lit cigarette hanging limply out of his mouth, and was dressed all in black-bomber boots, leather jacket, thick silver chains and jeans too skinny and compressive to be healthy. Magnus' mouth went dry, and he struggled to swallow down his fear. His hands were clammy, and his breath caught in his throat._

 _"Bane." He cooed-Magnus never knew why the members of the gang talked to him like he was a baby, he assumed it was just another way to torture him-taking the cigarette_

 _from his mouth, exhaling smoke that made Magnus feel like he was choking."It's been a long time since we last saw each other. You've changed a lot."_

 _Magnus nodded not knowing how else to react, and racked is brain for something to do. Maybe he could run, but he knew Luke too well for that. Luke would find him, and it would be painful. Magnus was smart enough to know he had to stay on the spot and take whatever was coming to him._

 _"I have a message for you, from J." Luke explained, "His exact words were lose the American, or you'll lose the American."_

 _With that, Luke spun on his heel, and walked away. Magnus didn't get coffee, he practically sprinted back to his hotel room and packed his bags. He let himself stare at Alec a while, imprinting his look in his brain so he could remind himself of it whenever he missed him, because he knew he wouldn't risk ever talking to him again. Then he woke him up, and said his final goodbye._

Alec told himself to breathe, told himself to stop thinking the worst, that Magnus was okay. Magnus had to be okay, because Alec honestly didn't know what he would do if he wasn't. After everything they had been through, this couldn't be the end of the road. This couldn't be how it ended! He never even got to say a last goodbye...

 _"J-Jonathan." Magnus stuttered, running a hand through his spikes, his thick jacket constricting his movements, but the English winter had begun. "C-can I talk to you?"_

 _"Not now baby, I'm busy." Jonathan grumbled, counting a huge wad of money, facing away from Magnus._

 _"Please." Magnus begged, "It's really important."_

 _Jonathan growled, before turning to face Magnus, a look of distaste on his face. "What?" He spat._

 _"I-I'm moving. To America." Magnus explained, looking at his shoes. Nervously, he added, "Tomorrow morning."_

Alec stayed at Magnus' side all through the night, watching over Magnus as he slept. Magnus looked terrible, he was pale and there were dark rings around his eyes. There were bruises all across his jaw, and there was a long line of love bites trailing all the way into his hospital robe, and Alec knew they weren't the same ones he had given to Magnus in London. Alec was more worried about what he couldn't see, however. Like Magnus' broken ankle, and bruising on his stomach and back, not to mention the unknown number if internal injuries.

Mimi had said she would take care of the firm until Alec returned, and said that Alec shouldn't come home a second before he had to. Alec was grateful for her. She could have reacted so badly to the news that Alec was in New York because Magnus was in hospital, but no. She had been so lovely. Alec felt guilt rise inside him for how atrociously he had acted during their relationship. His father would not be pleased.

In front of him, Magnus stirred and shifted under the hospital sheets, and Alec shot forward. He didn't awaken, so Alec settled back in his chair. Nurses had been through to check on Magnus, and some of them even flashed Alec a smile, but most just frowned. Alec wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing that they were so stoic, but he didn't ask. Didn't talk at all, just kept his gaze fixed on Magnus' frail body, and worried. He couldn't do anything except worry.

 _"Were you never gonna tell me?" Jonathan yelled._

 _The money was scattered across the floor, laying where Jonathan had thrown it in his fit of rage. Magnus cowered away from him, crying. He hated himself for being so weak, but he was so scared. Jonathan was volatile at the best of times, and Magnus had never seen him this angry before, not once._

 _"I'm telling you now!" Magnus sobbed._

 _Jonathan growled and swung his arm, fist clenched. He missed purposefully, instead denting the wall next to Magnus' head, far too close for Magnus' liking. Magnus was surprised Jonathan hadn't hit him yet. Jonathan wasn't scared of leaving bruises. It was almost his claim on Magnus, almost like he was saying, "I've done this to him, what do you think I'm going to do to you if you so much as look at him?"_

 _"Yeah, the day before you leave!" Jonathan yelled, "You better watch out, Bane, because you're nothing to me anymore. You know how dangerous that can be!"_

 _If Magnus tripped over his own feet on the way out, well, he was too scared to really care very much._

The door to Magnus' room opened slowly, but Alec had fallen asleep and didn't notice. Jonathan lingered in the doorway, observing the scene. He knew who the black haired guy was, and he was far from happy to see him. What was he doing here? Jonathan didn't care, he just wanted him to leave. He cleared his throat loudly.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter - much like the last chapter - is rather dark, and there are mentions of abusive relationships. Please do not read of you don't feel comfortable doing so.**

 **Also, sorry this took quite so long. I am mostly to blame for this, and I understand if you hate me.**

 **Massive thanks to my beta, Arianna Koz, for doing such a wonderful job, and for helping me with motivation and improving my writing. I literally cannot thank her enough, and she's just lovely.**

 **In case you don't know, I unfortunately do not own The Mortal Instruments or any of its characters (Mimi is mine, however).**

 **Okay, I'll shut up now and let you read this chapter!**

"Who is he?" Alec hissed.

He and Magnus were in the toilet. It was really too small to fit them both -especially with Magnus' crutches-and Magnus was half in the shower, but Alec didn't care. There was some guy in Magnus' hospital room accusing them of having some huge affair, accusing Magnus of being a liar. Alec didn't even care what Magnus was lying about, he just didn't appreciate being yelled at, especially by some guy he didn't even know.

"He's, um..." Magnus began, not meeting Alec's eye.

How could Magnus explain it, explain who Jonathan was without telling Alec too much? If he told too much, Jonathan would go after Alec too, and everything Magnus had done since he had been in London had been to keep Alec safe; would be for nothing.* He couldn't put Alec in danger, not now, not ever. He had done too much to give up now.

"He's my boyfriend." Magnus lied, "From before I moved to California. "

"Yeah?" Alec asked, raising his eyebrows. "He also the guy who made you look like a paint palette?"

Magnus looked away, and Alec knew he was right. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

Alec frowned. Dragged into what? As far as Alec was aware, Magnus' ex-boyfriend was just a little bit rude, and possibly unhinged. But, looking at Magnus' bruised face, Alec knew that there was more to it than that. And now he was involved in it, and he didn't even know what 'it' was. It didn't look good, whatever it happened to be.

"Dragged me into what?" Alec whispered, stepping towards Magnus. "What's going to happen to me?"

Magnus continued looking down at his feet. This, this had been the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen. He had done everything he could to stop Alec from even meeting Jonathan, and now Alec was in his firing line. Magnus dreaded to think what Jonathan was plotting in the next room. Mostly because he wasn't even sure why Jonathan had tracked him down after so long; surely he'd found someone new to use?

Maybe there was something else, though. Something Magnus didn't know about. Was there something going on with the Rebels? But even if that was true, it didn't have anything to do with Magnus anymore. Jonathan didn't have anything to do with Magnus anymore. But here he was, locked in a bathroom with Alec, wondering how on earth he was going to stop Jonathan from killing them.

"Look, Alec, you should go back to Florida, okay?" Magnus said quietly, "Because that's the only way he's not going to hurt you."

"And you?" Alec countered-why did he have to be so damn stubborn all the time-cupping Magnus' jaw as gently as he could. "You're just going to stay here and end up in hospital every few days?"

"There are things you don't know about me, Alec. Bad things." Magnus explained, playing with Alec's hands.

They were in Magnus' room after a long day at the beach, and Alec was staying the night. They were both sat on Magnus' bed, and Magnus had finally got enough courage to say what had been on his mind since he had woken up that morning.

"Things that you'd never look at me the same for. Dangerous things, and I don't want to put you in danger." Magnus whispered, staring at his and Alec's entwined fingers.

"Hey," Alec whispered, shifting on the bed to sit closer to Magnus. "I'm a big boy, Magnus, I can look after myself. I don't care what bad things happened in your past, I'm more concerned about our future."

Magnus leaned forward and pressed his lips onto Alec's. Alec grinned into the kiss, and wrapped his arms around Magnus' waist, pulling him impossibly closer. Magnus pulled away, and pressed his face into the crook of Alec's neck.

"Thank you." Magnus breathed.

"Yes, Alec, I am. This is my problem, not yours, okay?" Magnus pressed, pulling away from Alec's touch. "Just go, please."

"Since I first met you, I knew I liked you, and then I made the mistake of falling for you." Alec explained, his voice full of anger. "And when you broke up with me, I cried for days, because I would've done anything for you. Hell, I came, didn't I? When the hospital called? I would've died for you, but you don't get it do you, love? I loved you Magnus, and I still care."

"I'm doing this for you!" Magnus whispered back furiously, "You have no idea how much it killed me leaving you time after time, but I had to, every single time. For you. All of it for you, always. But he can't know that, ever. You have to be just another ex, okay? Because then he'll let you go!"

Alec huffed and shook his head; he'd heard enough. "Fine." He breathed deeply, "That's fine. I'll just go and wait until the next time I get a call from the hospital, shall I?"

With that, Alec stormed out of the bathroom. Jonathan was glaring at him as he left, but Alec didn't care-he was angry, and adrenaline was coursing through him. He was angry at Magnus for treating him like a child, and because Magnus was acting like his life didn't even matter, but God-damn it did! Alec felt like he could barely breathe as he left the hospital; all he wanted to do was run back inside and tell Magnus he still loved him, but he remembered the pleading look in Magnus' eye, so thought better of the idea.

"Why are you here, Jonathan?" Magnus croaked as Jonathan read through his medical records.

"I'm sorry baby, but you weren't doing as you were told. I got a bit carried away." Jonathan hummed, blatantly ignoring Magnus' question.

"Please, Jonathan, just answer me." Magnus sighed, his patience worn too thin to put up with any games.

"Fine." Jonathan huffed, "You have a little debt to pay off, don't think I forgot. So we're going to keep repeating the same process we went through the other night, and you might learn to behave, or you might not. It doesn't matter. We're going to keep doing this until I think your debt's been paid off, okay baby?"


	12. Chapter 12

**WARNING: This chapter especially, and the next a little bit, are both a very high T, bordering M. There are mentions of drug use - not especially detailed - in this chapter. If you don't want to, don't read.**

Magnus knew he had been stupid doing what he did, but he couldn't help himself. Jonathan promised that nothing would come of it, that he'd be able to pay off the debt easily. Magnus hadn't been totally convinced. He knew it sounded too good to be true - and most things with Jonathan usually were - but Jonathan's smile made him do it anyway.

So Magnus took the drugs.

A lot of drugs.

Cannabis, mostly, sometimes cocaine. Whatever he was given; he wasn't exactly picky. His parents didn't notice when he'd stumble home high as a kite, and Magnus often wondered if that was part of the reason they moved in the first place: so they could regain control of him. Magnus was glad to be rid of the narcotics when he moved to America, he'd never enjoyed taking them in the first place. It was just another thing Jonathan had gotten him to do. Just another weakness he'd shown to the gang.

But Jonathan had promised from the start-no big debt to pay off. Only now he seemed to have changed his mind, because now he was sat on Magnus' couch watching TV like it was the most normal thing in the world. Magnus was cooking them both dinner-he was wearing a freaking apron that said 'kiss the cook' in the sickliest font imaginable-and trying to stop himself from throwing up. He felt sick constantly when Jonathan was around, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was once again at Jonathan's mercy, and he knew it was only a matter of time before something bad happened again.

Alec hadn't stopped thinking about Magnus since he'd gotten back to Florida. Everyone was starting to notice how distracted he was. Even his mother-who still insisted he skype her every evening-had started asking more and more about how he was doing. It was becoming unbearable. He kept telling himself to look on the bright side, the hospital hadn't called again. Though Alec didn't put it past that Jonathan guy to have changed Magnus' emergency contact so Alec would never even know.

Alec growled and lifted the bottle of beer back to his lips. He was alone in his small apartment, glaring at his wall as though all the evil in the world stemmed from it, and his anger would make everything good again. The alcohol burned his throat-he'd never been good at drinking, and wasn't sure why he still tried to be-but he relished the pain. It was nothing, nothing, in comparison to what could be happening to Magnus. Nothing compared to losing Magnus. Again.

He was torn from his thoughts abruptly by the sound of his mobile ringing loudly on the coffee table next to him. Alec grumbled before picking up the phone to see who it was. A number appeared on his screen-no name, or contact picture-one Alec didn't recognize. He answered, cautiously.

"Alec?" He heard whispered from the other end.

Even though the voice was quiet, and even though Alec was a little more than slightly drunk, he recognized it. He would know it anywhere. Magnus. It was Magnus' voice. Alec considered hanging up the phone mostly out of spite but, remembering the crease between his mother's eyebrows when he told her for the billionth time he was fine, he chose not to.

"Yeah, it's me." He answered, his voice sounding like a sigh.

There was a quiet laugh on the other end, it was tentative but true. "You've still not changed your number."

Alec wasn't sure how to respond, and so stayed silent. Inside his head his thoughts were loud and chaotic, swarming together like a cacophony. It was all being drowned out by the constant Magnus, Magnus, Magnus that was being chanted in his brain by a voice he didn't recognize, too loud and brash and unbearable for him to cope.

"What do you want?" Alec asked, and he could hear the edge in his own tone, one he hadn't expected.

"I...I need a lawyer, Alec. A really good one." Magnus explained, and Alec knew him well enough to know he was biting his lip-a nervous habit Alec had always associated with him, and probably would forever, no matter who was doing it.

"Why, what's going on?" Alec pressed, suddenly alert, placing the beer bottle onto the place mat on the coffee table.

"I'm...I'm telling the police everything," Magnus whispered, and Alec could hear the crack in his voice-most likely from tears. "I need to get him out of my life but, Alec, there are things I've done that'll come to light and I need a good lawyer to help me stay out of prison. If I go to prison with him, I don't know what'll happen."

Alec barely even had to consider his answer.


	13. Chapter 13

It wasn't easy, but by some miracle they won the case. Alec had spent many a sleepless night trying to find loopholes inside of loopholes to keep Magnus out of jail. If he had let the case get personal, well, he was to focused to notice. He spent night after night with Magnus, getting the whole story. It was tiresome, but the way Magnus broke down into tears of relief after the final court session made it worth it.

Alec doesn't think he'll ever forget the look that Jonathan gave him as he was being dragged away by the guards. It was deranged, with fear and hatred and anger laced in it, and it made Alec feel a surge of both panic and pride. He'd managed to make Magnus safe, and that was the main thing.

Magnus hugged him a lot that day, and Alec memorized the feel of Magnus' body against his, preparing himself for when he would have to go back to Florida. Preparing himself for when he'd finally have to leave Magnus. Again.

He was sat on Magnus' couch. Magnus was in the kitchen making coffee, and humming the tune to a song Alec didn't recognize. That didn't matter. Magnus was happy, and it felt like Alec could breathe again. That's when he decided to do it, despite how there was a voice in his head telling him that he was making a terrible decision.

Magnus walked into the room and passed Alec a mug of coffee. Alec thanked him politely, and then watched as Magnus eyed the couch before choosing to instead sit on an armchair across from it.

"My flight leaves at eleven tomorrow." Alec explained, catching Magnus' eye.

Magnus nodded. He knew. He didn't need to be reminded. When he'd called Alec, he hadn't expected Alec to catch the next flight to New York, but he had. Because Alec is the embodiment of rainbows and sunshine. Keeping it all secret from Jonathan had been a nightmare, but watching the guards drag him away had made it somehow better again. Spending three months with Alec hadn't been a total chore, either.

"Come with me?" Alec requested, and Magnus spat out his coffee.

"What?" He cried, wiping the arm of the chair where the coffee had been sprayed.

"I...I didn't...It's just..." Alec stuttered, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. He took a deep breath before trying again, "I love you, okay? I've loved you since I was 16. And we've said goodbye to each other so many times, but we always come back to each other, don't we? That has to mean something! You can't honestly say you don't love me back!"

"Alec, I-"

"I don't want to leave you again Magnus. Mimi broke up with me that night in London because she could tell that I was still gone for you." Alec interrupted, shifting to the end of the couch.

"I didn't want to break up with you." Magnus admitted, "Remember that night your dad caught us making out in the hallway?" Alec nodded. "Well, he told me that night that just by being with you, I was

stopping you from getting what you wanted. That Idris wouldn't accept you if they knew about us. So I broke up with you to give you what you wanted."

Alec sat in a stunned silence. He had always known Magnus had lied about why they couldn't be together anymore, but he had never expected his own father to be part of the reason why.

"Alec, I love you. There isn't a day gone by that I haven't wondered if I hadn't had broken up with you, if we would still be together. I'd planned out our wedding. We were going to run away together and elope, and then we were going to have a massive party when we got back." Magnus laughed at himself, a light breathy laugh, before continuing. "I thought we were going to be forever, and sometimes I still let myself hope that you'll take me back."

Then they were kissing. Neither knew who started it, only that they both met in the middle, straightening up with their lips joined. It was deep and passionate. Magnus remembered to kiss back this time, his hands buried deep in Alec's hair. Alec's hands were wrapped tightly around Magnus' waist, pulling their bodies as close together as they could possibly be.

"Come with me to Florida." Alec mumbled into the top of Magnus' head.

They were both in Magnus' bed, Magnus laid half on top of Alec, his head pressed onto the crook of Alec's neck. Magnus didn't remember ever feeling so relaxed before, had never been anywhere that felt so safe. He pressed himself further into Alec, sighing contently.

"C'mon," Alec muttered, "There are so many good hospitals in Florida that'll hire you easy. I think there was one a few minutes drive away from my law firm that's hiring pediatricians. Rent'll be easier to pay with two of us. Come back with me."

"Asking me to move in already? You don't think it's moving too fast?" Magnus whispered back, his breath tickling Alec's neck.

"Honestly, I don't think we can go too fast." Alec laughed.

Magnus stayed silent for a minute, and dread pooled in Alec's stomach. He'd not meant to be quite so forward, but Magnus' heat was intoxicating, and the words came spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them. He didn't blame Magnus for being so skeptical. He wasn't sure whether it was too fast or not either, but he knew he couldn't leave Magnus behind. Not again.

"Okay." Magnus breathed, "I'll go back to Florida with you."

"Yeah?" Alec asked, straining his neck to look Magnus in the eyes.

"I'll have to sell this place first, and find a job there, and pack. And probably a million other things," Magnus replied, meeting Alec's gaze, "But yeah, I want to move in with you!"

Alec laughed, joy taking over all of his senses. He leaned down and captured Magnus' lips with his own, kissing around his grin. It was fine, though, because Magnus could hardly contain his smile either. And it felt like coming home.


	14. Epilogue

Living with Alec wasn't easy. They argued all the time about everything, big and small, and Alec was a terrible cook - which resulted in the fire alarm going off more than once. Magnus always drank the last of the milk, and would sometimes use all the hot water in the shower, and they were constantly accusing each other of stealing the quilt at night.

But Magnus was a great chef, and always picked up more milk, and they showered together more often than not. So they didn't worry about it, about them. It was nice to have someone to go home to, and it was even nicer having the last words out of their mouths each night being 'I love you'. It felt right, more than anything else ever had in either of their lives before.

They traveled back to California to tell Alec's family about them - they were surprised to find that Simon was staying with Izzy, and although they both denied it, Magnus and Alec could tell there was something there between them. Alec's father was extremely supportive, and even pulled Magnus aside to say he was welcome in the family. Alec's mom wasn't quite so understanding, but she tried, Magnus could tell.

Izzy and Simon thought it was great, and Simon said he'd always had his suspicions about Alec. Izzy said she was happy that Alec was happy, and told Magnus that if he hurt Alec, she would hurt him. Magnus didn't doubt what she was saying was the truth, and assured her that hurting Alec was the last thing he wanted to do.

They told Clary and Jace over Skype. Jace was shocked to learn that Alec liked men in that way, and Clary just cooed over them, telling them it was about time. She was very enthusiastic about them, once she had yelled at Alec for what he'd said in London, and said they would have to go on a couples weekend together.

Mimi had been especially supportive, congratulating them both. And it turned out she and Magnus actually had a lot in common, and became pretty good friends. At first, Alec found it weird, and was quite uncomfortable, but he soon came around. He was glad that Mimi was happy, when it would have been so easy for her to be bitter and cruel.

Magnus' parents were easy to talk to. They told them over Skype too, and Alec is pretty sure Magnus' dad cried a little bit, not that he'd ever admit it. Magnus' mom went on a ten minute rant about how they'd have to get together so she could meet Alec in person. And what size feet did he have, because she was learning to knit, and planned to make everyone socks. Magnus ended the conversation very quickly after that, and the two burst into fits of uncontrollable giggles.

It felt like finally, finally, they were happy. Like nothing could go wrong for them anymore. After everything they had been through, it felt like they were finally complete. They could be happy, and safe, and together. It felt good. And there was nothing more in the world that they wanted.

 **A/N:**

 **Hi!**

 **That's it, the end of the story. It's taken a while, but I'm really happy with it! Big thanks to my wonderful Beta Arianna Koz who is probably glad she doesn't have to put up with me anymore.**

 **Thank you to Cassandra Clare for writing the Mortal Instruments, and with it these wonderful characters who never cease to inspire a new story. And for both the movie and TV show for bringing them to life in a new way.**

 **Also a big thanks to anyone who managed to read the whole thing, and didn't get bored half-way through. Please tell me whether you liked this or not!**

 **I** ** _might_** **work on a prequel to the entire story, about how Magnus and Alec first met, but no promises. One-Shots are more my thing. But you never know.**

 **Thank you again.**

 **-Favefangirl**

 **XxXxX**


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